Linger
by Selke
Summary: The new professor at Hogwarts helps Severus to come to terms with his past, present, and future.
1. Hello

Disclaimer: Yes, the almighty J.K.R. owns everything within this story, save for Pyre and Sahriya, and basically anyone that you don't recognize.  I'm making no money off of this, so please don't sue.  Believe me, all you'd get are used HS 314 books.

_________

Chapter 1: Hello

_________

"What the devil are you talking about?!"  Severus Snape bellowed before catching his tongue.  He straightened up slightly, fixing his long black robes, pushing his shoulder length black hair out of his face.  He sighed before looking back up at Albus Dumbledore.  The headmaster had a slightly bemused look on his face.  "Headmaster, what I mean to say is, I am more than qualified for that job, sir.  Why bring in an outsider to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"

"Because, Severus, she is quite qualified.  She herself is an alumni of Hogwarts."  Dumbledore said, a slight twinkle in his azure eyes.  "She graduated several years ago and went on to a very prestigious wizarding school in the States."  Dumbledore explained.  

"Well, who in blazes is she?"  Snape asked, his temper ready to flare again.  He smiled inwardly at the thought that the combined Slytherin and Gryffindor Potions class was in less than fifteen minutes, the perfect time to release tension by deducting points from the Gryffindors.  

"Pyre Rittin."

"Pyre…Rittin…  Odd, I don't remember the name.  _When _did you say she graduated from Hogwarts, Albus?"  Severus inquired, running his hand through his hair.  "Wait…  Oh, Albus, not her.  Anyone but her.  She was worse than bloody Potter and the Weasley's combined!"

"Do relax, Severus.  You'll live longer."  Albus chuckled.  He stood up and walked around his large desk, his dark blue robes swishing silently behind him.  He placed a hand on Snape's shoulder and smiled.  "I wouldn't worry.  I do believe she's mellowed out a bit since then.  Although the hair's still…  Well, I'll let you see.  She's in the Staff Room, might as well greet her before your first class, Severus."

Severus rolled his eyes slightly, but followed the aged wizard out of the office and down to the Staff Room.  They stepped into the room just as Minerva McGonagall stepped out.  She smiled slightly at the pair before muttering something to Albus.

"…the hair's even worse now, Albus.  I think you should talk to her about that."

"Alright, Minerva."  Dumbledore chuckled.  He led Snape over to a dark corner of the large room and spoke in a rather cheerful voice that Snape disliked immediately:  "Severus Snape, you remember Pyre Rittin, yes?"

A young woman in black robes looked up from her book, rather shyly.  She had short black hair with chunks of magenta running through it.  It was spiked all over, fairly reminiscent of Madame Hooch's hair, if she was going through a punk phase.  Her ears were pierced, four times apiece, and she wore simple black eye shadow.  Her pale face showed the signs of a slight smile before she spoke.

"Hello, Professor Snape."  Pyre said, standing up.  She extended her hand to Snape, which he took in his own, in a distrustful handshake.  "Hello, Headmaster."

"Good morning, Rittin.  Have you blown anything up lately?"  Snape asked, his face in a twisted smile.

"Well, Professor, it's only eight thirty in the morning.  Give me time…" Pyre said, a heavy sarcastic tone to her voice.  She glanced at her watch before wincing.  "I'm afraid we can continue this at another time.  I have a class to teach."

And with that, Pyre left the room, leaving a smiling Dumbledore and a silently cursing Snape.

"_Why did you hire her, Albus?_"  Snape asked, his voice tight.  Dumbledore simply shrugged his slim shoulders.

"Call me crazy, Severus, but I do believe that some people deserve a second chance."

Severus merely sighed and walked out of the room behind Rittin.  

"Sorry to tell you old boy, but you _do_ have a bit of a conscience.  You just don't like to show it."  Albus said to the empty room.  He smiled as he received a response from Sir Nicholas.

"I agree…  I give it a week before they kill each other."

"My, you certainly are an optimist, Nick…"

____

Yes.  Reviews are good.


	2. Happened Upon the Nerve

Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.  Own Pyre.  That's about it.

______

Chapter 2: Happened Upon the Nerve

______

"Students, hush.  I said HUSH."  Pyre Rittin stepped into her second class of the day, a combination of the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors.  "Hello, I am your new Defense Against the Dark Art's professor, Pyre Rittin."

"Can we call you Pyre, ma'am?"  A sixth year from Hufflepuff asked.  Pyre had to suppress a small smile.

"I'm sorry, but no.  I am to be called Professor Rittin, thanks."  Pyre stated.  "First things first.  We have a few rules to get out of the way.

"Rule number one:  I don't want to see any obnoxious behavior in my classroom.  Don't forget, I did this all not too long ago, and I refuse to tolerate any of it.  Rule number two: Pay attention.  Trust me, it'll get you wonders.  And finally, rule number three: If I hear anybody joke about my age, I will not hesitate to force feed you poison.  Got that?"

Most of the class stayed silent, some merely nodded.  Pyre sighed to herself.

"Sounds like Snape."  A voice whispered from the far right hand corner of the classroom, followed by two laughs.  

"Excuse me, Mr.…  Weasely, is it?"  Pyre scanned the parchment on her desk.  "Ronald Weasely.  Along with, I presume, the 'oh so infamous' Harry Potter.  And where you two go, I can make an educated guess that the quiet young lady next to you is Hermione Granger, yes?"

The trio simply nodded.

"Good.  Well, Mr. Weasely, you've just earned detention for the three of you.  Report to this room Wednesday night at eight o'clock, sharp.  Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."  The trio sighed.  Hermione and Harry shot dagger looks towards Ron.  He mouthed a silent 'I'm sorry."  Pyre simply rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand.

"Now, shall we begin?"

--

Pyre sat down in her chambers, heaving a heavy sigh of relief; she'd just finished her last class of the way (first year Slytherins) and was quite exhausted.  She kicked off her black boots absent mindedly while sipping at a glass of brandy and tossing aside her torn robe.  (_I'll have to get a house elf up here to fix that…  Bloody Longbottom…_)  

"Ms. Rittin?"  A voice called from the fireplace, causing Pyre to jump.  She turned around swiftly, an angry glare on her face.  She was about to curse when she saw who had spoken.

"Professor Snape?"  Pyre asked, confusion marring her face.  

"Well, I'm glad you're up on your recognition skills, Rittin." Snape hissed, an eyebrow quirked.  

"Oh, sod off, Snape.  What do you want?"  

Severus merely rolled his eyes at her tone of voice, waiting a moment before responding.  Pyre had the sudden urge to reach through the fire and throttle his throat.  

"Watch your tone with your superiors, Ms. Rittin…  You've been here a day, whilst I've been here long enough to have taught you…" _And failed you… _Severus thought to himself.  "You should show some respect to your elders…

"But that is besides the point.  Albus asked me to remind you of the teachers' meeting tonight, to discuss plans for this school year."

It sounded as if Severus had tried everything to avoid having to talk to the young teacher, and Pyre wanted desperately to take advantage of his discomfort of speaking to a former teacher as a near 'equal.'  

"Of course, Snape.  I didn't forget."  Pyre said, taking a sip of her drink, a slight smirk on her face.  

"You'd best be there.  I don't fancy getting chewed out by Albus because his little _pet_ doesn't show up for a meeting." Snape scowled.

"Pet?"  Pyre asked, setting her glass down harshly.  "What the blazes do you mean, _pet_?"

"Figure it out, Rittin."  Snape said, waving a hand, dismissing the question.  "You'd best show up for the meeting tonight."

And with that, Snape disappeared from the fire.

"Blasted man."  Pyre whispered to herself, picking up her wine glass and throwing it into the fire, where Snape's head had been.  "He's going to drive me insane…"


	3. The Past Will Catch You Up

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

______

Chapter 3: The Past Will Catch You Up (As You Run Faster)

______

Severus sat waiting in his office three months later, sipping quietly on a cup of tea.  With a small, audible popping noise, a small figure apparated in, smiling at him.  She wore a cloak of thick black velvet, which matched her midnight colored hair.  

"Severus…  You're pale.  You should be eating."  Sahriya Snape commented, as Severus stood up and embraced her.  "You should get out more, too."

"Ah, Sahriya, still a bloody nit pick."  Severus smiled, handing his elder sister a cup of tea, adding her usual two lumps of sugar.  "How've you been?"

"Not bad…  Work's been a bloody nightmare, though."  Sahriya said, a small grimace on her face.  "The Minister's a blasted moron…"

Sahriya looked Severus up and down.  She admitted to herself that he didn't look well.  He was pale, more so than usual.  There were deep circles around his black eyes, making his lack of sleep obvious.  The bones of his face jutted out and his hands were bones covered with a thin layer of skin.  He was drowning in his ebony robes.

"Have you been eating regularly?  Or sleeping?"  Sahriya asked, attempting to keep any hint of her true worry out of her voice.  "Severus?"

"I'm fine."  Severus snapped, standing up and walking over to the small sink near his potions.  He dumped out the nearly full cup of tea and turned to her.  He turned to her, his face expressionless.  

"Fine is something you say when you're _not_, Sev.  And don't think you can fool me into thinking that you're all right.  You're obviously not."  Severus braced himself for one of his sister's rants.  "You look like you've eaten nothing in a month, and you've been working yourself ragged…  Albus even…"

"Ah…  I see.  I was wondering why you wanted to meet with me so suddenly…  So, Albus has been voicing his concerns to you, then.  Let me see if I know his speech yet…" Severus hissed.  He turned back towards the sink and the mirror over it.  "_Sahriya, he hasn't been eating, or sleeping.  Sahriya, I'm worried about his well being_."

"That's about it."  Sahriya raised one perfect eyebrow and a trademark Snape family scowl appeared on her ivory face.  She ran a hand through her short black hair, exasperated.  "Look, I know that you've gone back to spying for the Order.  I may not be at all of the meetings, Severus, but I do keep in touch with other members…  

"Minerva had to be the one to tell me that my baby brother was going back to the Dark Lord.  You couldn't even tell me.  Do you disregard my feelings for you so much as to not even _tell_ me that you're risking your life?"

"It's none of your concern, Sahriya.  If I have to do this for redemption, I shall."  Severus turned back to his sister, his hands clenched into painful fists, his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palm.

"You've been at this for twenty years, Severus!  Don't you think that you've redeemed yourself yet?"  Sahriya asked, falling back into her chair angrily.

"Ask the families of my victims that, not me."  Severus whispered, his head hanging low.  "Please, just leave me be…"

"Never."  Sahriya said, stubbornly.  She rose back to her feet, walking towards Severus.  She took him in a tight embrace and whispered into his ear.  "Never."

They both glanced up sharply as they heard a soft sound outside of the door.  They looked at each other briefly before pulling out their wands and pointing them at the door.  Sahriya mumbled a spell, sending the door flying open, sending a young woman to the floor.

"Is this the new teacher, Severus?"  Sahriya shot a look at Severus, who merely nodded.  

Pyre stood up quickly, dusting herself off.  Her face was a bright crimson color as she mumbled several apologies, each running into the next.

"I'm sorry, Professor Snape.  Professor McGonagall sent me to see what was wrong.  You missed dinner.  But then again, that's really not anything new, I guess.  I mean, you never come to meals anymore.  Not that I'm implying anything!  I mean, I, I…" Pyre mumbled, hopping back and forth on her feet nervously.  She cleared her throat before trying again.  "I'm sorry…  I shouldn't have been listening in on your conversation, Professor.  I didn't want to interrupt, so I was trying to wait until an appropriate time to do so…"

"Get out of my sight, Rittin."  Severus hissed.  

_Merlin, does that scowl bring back memories._  Pyre thought to herself.  _Gods, he _is_ getting thin…  And pale.  Why didn't I notice that before?_

"I said get out of my **sight**…" Snape snapped.  Pyre stood watching him for a moment before turning to Sahriya.  The elder Snape nodded at her quickly, taking Pyre's hand and dragging her out of the office, into the hall.  Pyre looked up at her once in the hall, attempting to keep her temper in check.

"What the hell was that all about?  Who're you, and who do you think you are, dragging me out here?"  Pyre asked, her hands on her hips.  Sahriya glanced at her and patted her on the head.  Pyre shrugged away quickly, glaring at her.

"Calm down, Ms. Rittin."  Sahriya smiled sadly.  Sahriya looked up at the open door to Severus' office.  She flipping her hand towards it, slamming it shut, and turned back to Pyre.  "I need to talk to you about Severus.

"Has he been going missing for days at a time?  Has he been eating?"

"I really wouldn't know.  I'm not Snape's babysitter."  Pyre responded, her voice both annoyed and nervous.  "Like I said in there, he's been missing meals a lot lately, but he's never missed one of his classes…

"I have seen him come and go at odd hours.  He'll leave directly after his final class and return mere moments before his first class the next day.  I never fancied asking him about his nocturnal habits, though…  Always figured that it was none of my business.

"Besides, who are you?  Why should you care what Snape does or doesn't do?"

"I, child, am his elder sister, Sahriya Snape-Sallus."  Sahriya stated, the Snape smirk taking its rightful place on her face.  Her black eyes shone, showing all of the depth of Severus's, but with a warmth instilled in them that didn't show in her younger brothers eyes.  "I do believe that gives me the right and _privilege_ of caring for him."

"Yes.  I'm sorry, Ms. Snape."  Pyre stammered.  A graceful smile appeared on the elder woman's face.

"Call me Sahriya."

"All right.  Sahriya."  Pyre leaned against the brick walls of the dungeon hall.  She let a soft sigh escape her lips as the cool rock pressed against her forehead.  "Look, Snape has been doing what I said.  He's not coming to any meals, whatsoever.  He used to at least make an appearance at one or two meals per day, but now he doesn't even bother with that.  He's always holed up in his blasted laboratory, or off Merlin knows where.

"Is it true that he's gone back to the Dark Lord?"

"It wasn't his choice, Ms. Rittin."  Sahriya stated, a sad smile on her face.  "He never wanted to join in the first place…  Our grandfather, Silvian Snape, was a devoted follower of Voldemort's, as were our parents.  Father followed in our grandfather's footsteps, dragging our mother along with him.  She never cared much for Voldemort, you know.  She only wanted to keep her children safe, and believed that following Voldemort would do so…"

"She joined to keep you and Severus safe?  She gave up her life and freedoms?"  

"Yes…  Not only for us, but also for our older, twin, brothers, Caesar and Augustus."  Pyre quirked her eyebrow at the names.  Sahriya sighed.  "Mother was a history professor before marrying father…  Anyway, Severus was brought into the inner circle at a very young age.  All four of us were initiated into Voldemort's group at the same time…  Caesar and Augustus were eighteen, I was sixteen, and Severus was only seven.  _Seven years old and already in Voldemort's inner circle._"

"Sweet Merlin…  I didn't know that was possible…" Pyre breathed, shock visible on her face.

"It normally isn't.  Our family had…connections…  Therefore, we all got our marks at the same time."  Sahriya smiled slightly.  Pyre decided that it definitely wasn't a pleasant thing.  "In the end, father gave his life for Voldemort, as did mother, and Caesar…  Father fought the Ministry, with Caesar supporting him, and both were killed.  Mother attempted to leave the fold soon after, taking Augustus, Severus and I with her, but paid dearly for it."  Sahriya took a deep, steadying, breath.  "We were never able to find her body."

Pyre found herself unable to speak.  She knew of nothing to say that would be able to comfort Sahriya, so didn't bother attempting it.  She simply nodded.

"Augustus and I were able to sever our ties with Voldemort soon after mother's death.  Severus decided then that he would pay Voldemort back for the death of our family.  He opted to bring Voldemort down from the inside."

"Spying?"

"Yes."

A deep respect for the potions master overtook Pyre.  "Is-is there anything that I could do to help?"

"Please, just keep an eye on him for Augustus and I.  We couldn't handle losing another member of the family."  Sahriya said, her eyes moist.

"It would be my pleasure, Sahriya."  

_______

A/N:  Hrms.  I do believe I need a Beta…  Sorry about this chapter's length.  I really wanted to get a bit of Severus' past in there without it being too corny.  I guess I traded in the corny for length.  Oops.  : )  Anyway, please let me know what you think through a review.  It would help me a lot, and probably help chapter four get here faster.


End file.
